Household brass polish for cleaning cases?

[Jason_W]

I've heard these cleaners can make cases brittle. Any truth to it.

I just happen to appreciate shiny brass.

[TomF]

Ammonia is bad news for brass. I use a tumbler and Lyman media additive.

TomF

[Jason_W]

Ammonia is bad news for brass. I use a tumbler and Lyman media additive.

TomF

Good to know. Thanks.

[Ysabel Kid]

Ditto. A tumbler/vibratory cleaner does wonders - I'm cleaning brass as I type this. I put it through three cycles. First is old media just to knock off the major amount of crud. Then a cycle with case cleaning polish - I like my cases shiny as well! Last a quick pass with dry and new/clean media - which takes off any residue left from the second pass. Works wonders!!!

[Old Time Hunter]

One part vinegar, four parts water, a dab of dish soap, and a couple of tablespoons of table salt. Leave the casings sit in the brine for 'bout 20-30 minutes, swishing around once and awhile, then rinse with clean cold mountain water...Oops, I mean any clear water. I then usually roll 'em up in a towel to get the major wetness off, then let 'em sit in a caldron overnight to dry completely. Quite, cheap, and efficient.

[Cliff]

Well I have used Brasso in a vibrator type cleaner without problems. I would add about one (1) tablespoon and let it run until it gets mixed in real good, add the dirty brass and it came out after about an hour looking good. Never had any problems with brass failure. I imagine if you let it lay in an ammoniated solution it would ruin the brass, but I don't. Another trick I heard of and tried is to clean the tumbling media occasionally using a paper towel, torn into long strips a couple of inches wide, throw them in with the dirty media and let it run for an hour or so and the pieces of paper towels will lift a lot of dirt out of the media. I do refresh the media with a nonamoniated scouring powder, like Bon-Ami when finished cleaning it. I can go a long time on one load of media and it is cheap. Again only a couple of tablespoons of Bon-Ami is all that is needed, a little goes a long way. I normally use ground corn cobs for the media and pick it up cheap locally at feed and supply stores. Of course you can get impregnated walnut grit which works very well, and a refreshing compound added occasionally works well with it. I presently am using a Dillon large case viborator cleaner, kinda of sounds like a DC-3 taking off overhead. Good Luck.

[Don McDowell]

I'm with Cliff I use Brasso added to corn cob media in my vibrator cleaner. Some of the 45-70 brass has about a dozen reloads and cleaning on it, and all is still fine.
That combo really makes Remington nickle brass shine.

[Blaine]

The ammoina is a solvent for brass....be careful and remove it completely lest you get a weak spot on the brass.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

The ammoina is a solvent for brass....be careful and remove it completely lest you get a weak spot on the brass.

Blaine,
The ammonia has to be in liquid form and concentrated to hurt the brass. If you treat the polishing medium with Brasso and run it until it's dry you won't have a problem. Thirty years ago, that's about all that was available. My tumbler back then was a 5 gallon bucket attached to an electric ice cream maker motor and I used corncob pet litter treated with the Brasso. Never had a problem.

[Griff]

BRASSO! Accept no substitutes. Extends life of whatever media you choose.

[Texican]

I'd say Liquid Flitz is the way to go. Super shiny and it stays that way for a long time. Also, has no ammonia - although I admit to using Brasso in the past without problem.

I get my tumbling media from the pet store, too. Crushed walnut hulls for far cheaper than gun show or catalog prices.

[Sixgun]

I'm with the above boys who use Brasso. I've been using it since the early seventies. Have since cleaned tens of thousands of rounds.

I take it another step more. When my media gets dirty, I dump it in a 5 gallon bucket, add hot water and some laundry detergent. I swish it around for 5 minutes or so, dump out the water, fill it again a few times to rinse it real good--then set it in the sun to dry. The media does not go bad-it gets filled with crud.-----------------Sixgun

[Don McDowell]

Running a few strips of good quality paper towel in the bowl with out any brass will bring out alot of crud from corncob media.

[cnjarvis]

I'd say Liquid Flitz is the way to go. Super shiny and it stays that way for a long time. Also, has no ammonia - although I admit to using Brasso in the past without problem.

I get my tumbling media from the pet store, too. Crushed walnut hulls for far cheaper than gun show or catalog prices.

Where are you getting the liquid Flitz? I have the paste and love it for polishing metal and plastic but darned if I can remember where I got it.

Great idea on the pet store media gents. It's half the price of the "case cleaner media". I'm going to try the paper towel trick too.

[505stevec]

how much brasso should i put in? I haven't started reloading but...

[Don McDowell]

505 a table spoon is a big plenty to clean up 150 45-70 cases.

[505stevec]

thanks alot

[Texican]

I'd say Liquid Flitz is the way to go. Super shiny and it stays that way for a long time. Also, has no ammonia - although I admit to using Brasso in the past without problem.

I get my tumbling media from the pet store, too. Crushed walnut hulls for far cheaper than gun show or catalog prices.

Where are you getting the liquid Flitz? I have the paste and love it for polishing metal and plastic but darned if I can remember where I got it.

Great idea on the pet store media gents. It's half the price of the "case cleaner media". I'm going to try the paper towel trick too.

My local gun shop carries it but I've also found it at (independent)hardware stores, and sometimes marine supply stores carry it, too. Of course you can order it online. It's worth looking for (like Ballistol )